


A Series of Videos - Signed, Dad

by HolyKingWasteLand



Series: Signed, Dad [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Author doesn't know how to shave, BAMF Peter Parker, F/M, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Irondad, Lots of Crying, Not Beta Read, Not Really Character Death, Not Shippy, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker-centric, Peter has a scary bad side, Peter is his canon age, Peter yells at the Avengers, Peter-centric, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Peter Parker, Sad Peter Parker, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony teaches Peter how to shave, We Die Like Men, adoption au, dad tony, do not cross him, he'll get you, maybe some spoilers?, or Tony, probably not, so bear with him, so roughly 16 and a half, spiderson, videos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-05 00:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15852501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyKingWasteLand/pseuds/HolyKingWasteLand
Summary: "Where is he?" He screams, pounding his fists against Steve's chest- careful to not use his full strength. "Where's Tony?!"OR; Tony is declared "Missing in Action" and FRIDAY plays Peter a series of videos that Tony left for him.





	1. The Videos

The Quinjet slowly descends and Peter bounces on his heels anxiously. Tony had said that, before he left, he would call Peter on the way home. But Tony never called. Pepper puts her hand on Peter's shoulder and he looks up at her. She smiles down at him reassuringly. "He'll be back, he always comes back." She says over the noise of the jet. Peter nods, but it does nothing to quell his nerves.

The jet lands on it's designated "helipad" area, and Peter feels a smile tug at his lips. They've been gone just under a week and Peter is so excited to tell Tony all about what happened while he was away. The large door opens and the Avengers begin filing out, grim looks on their faces and dried blood on their skin.

Peter is smiling but it slowly fades when he realises Tony isn't there. He makes eye contact with Steve and the man lowers his eyes to the floor. Peter feels dread begin to set in his stomach. He looks over at Pepper with wide eyes and she has a hand over her mouth, her eyes as wide as Peter's own.

"No..." His voice cracks as he looks back towards the injured men and women, his eyes filling with tears. He takes one step toward the jet and then breaks into a run. He grabs onto the side of the jet and hauls himself inside; his eyes scanning over every possible place the man could be.

The jet is empty.

Tears roll down his face, his eyes stinging and burning as it happens. His breath stutters and he wipes at his eyes. "No!" He cries and jumps out of the jet, running up to Steve. "Where is he?" He screams, pounding his fists against Steve's chest- careful to not use his full strength. "Where's Tony?!"

Steve grabs Peter's wrists and the teen struggles against him, sobbing as he thrashes. "I'm sorry Peter, he... He's gone. Missing in action. We couldn't find his body, and we weren't able to track his suit. I'm so sorry." Steve says remorsefully, shaking his head, tears mirroring in his own eyes.

"W-why did you just leave him?" Peter cries. "You could have found him! Brought him home.." The fight... it drains out of him.

"We spent over a day looking for him. But we had so many injured, if we'd stayed any longer.." Steve explains sadly.

Peter stops struggling as the reality of the situation sinks in. "B-but...  _no.._ " His nose stings as fresh tears come to his eyes and he hangs his head. Steve lets go of Peter's wrists and pulls the teenager into a strong, comforting hug. "No!.."

"I'm so sorry, Peter."

 

* * *

 

Peter sighs and walks through the compound. The halls are too quiet. Too empty. He spends his first day without Tony just... wandering. He spends time outside, walking through the garden that he asked Tony if they could get. But instead of asking someone else to plant all of the flowers, saplings, and plants, they did it together. They spent a week planting their whole garden. It was hot, and they were sweating profusely, but they never bailed.

Tony had bought a bunch of marble statues and columns to make it more personalised. Peter had suggested they get hammocks and Tony had obliged.

They worked hard to make their garden a reality, and it really paid off. It's a beautiful garden, and Peter can't help the tears that well up in his eyes whenever he sees it now. So many memories of them hanging out in there. On good days, bad days, and every other day in between.

Peter wanders through the garden, looking at the flowers, the Venus Flytraps that Tony had insisted they get, the vines that crawl up the marble columns, and the hammocks near the fountain. Peter picked that spot for them, so they would have some nice water sounds in case they didn't want to talk, or there was a long stretch of silence.

The others didn't come in here very often. They respected the fact that it was their little spot. Peter feels sadness well up in the pit of his stomach when he sees Tony's hammock. A knitted throw blanket tossed onto it haphazardly. Peter had made it for him for father's day that year, and the man loved it. Just like he loved this place.

Peter swallows past the lump in his throat and he wipes at his eyes with his sleeve. He knows Tony wouldn't want him to be sad for him, but damn it- Peter was allowed to grieve!

He takes in a deep breath, and exits the garden.

 

* * *

 

He spends the first night and whole second day in Tony's room. Pepper couldn't bring herself to come in here, the wounds still too fresh, but Peter couldn't find it in himself to leave once he'd entered. FRIDAY had tried to talk to him when he first arrived, probably trying to offer her condolences, but he'd brushed her off. 

Tony never really slept. And when he did, it was most often in the lab, or on the couch. So Peter was quite shocked to find that the bed smelt like him; like motor oil and sweat, and flowers and soap.. It brings tears to his eyes at the feeling of  _home_ it gives him; and knowing that he'll never get to feel it with him again.

Peter has been laying silent in Tony's bed for hours, the sobbing has long since passed and denial has set in. They just said he was MIA, but they never  _found_ a body. Which means he could be.... _no, gotta stop thinking like that. He's gone. You have to accept it or you'll never move on._

" _Peter?"_ FRIDAY asks softly, and Peter sighs miserably.

"Yeah Fri?" His croaky voice replies, still raw from all the crying.

" _Boss has left you a series of videos, would you like me to play the first one?"_

Peter blinks at this. Videos? Tony left him videos? He sits up in bed, his heart still heavy, but a new found interest in what she has to show him. "...O-okay," He mumbles, and the first video pops up on the big screen.

Tony's face is there and the video begins to play.

_"Hey Peter, if you're watching this then... then I'm dead." Tony says after a hesitant breath, a distant look in his eyes. "..Or you're a clever snoop! I... I'm sort of hoping it's the second reason.. is that selfish?"_

Peter shakes his head no and wipes his eyes as they fill with tears again, causing screen Tony to become blurry.

_"Well, anyway, however you've come in contact with these videos... Hi." Tony smiles softly and waits a moment, like he's expecting an answer._

Peter laughs a watery laugh and replies, "Hi, Tony."

_"Today, I'm going to be teaching you.." He drums his hands on the counter for effect and then holds up a razor with a big smile. "How to shave! Now, if I've already taught you how by the time you see this- and god I hope I have or else you're really young- then just use it as a reminder. We can't have you going feral on the team, now can we?" He winks at the camera._

Peter then takes notice of the fact that Tony is filming in the bathroom, and he tilts his head slightly, trying to see if he can remember what day this could have been-

_"Just because I'm gone, doesn't mean you can refuse to shave, okay? We Starks gotta keep up the appearance!"_

He feels his chest constrict when he hears Tony call him a Stark. 

_"Okay, so first, you need to wet your face." Tony splashes his face with lukewarm water and makes sure to wet his beard fully. "Then, you want to get your shaving cream- I like to use this, uh, Smokey Wood, cause it smells good- and apply to everywhere you want to shave." He applies it all over his beard._

Peter feels like the Venus Flytraps in the garden with his mouth hanging open like it is. This can't be- he isn't really going to-

_Then Tony drags the razor through his beard with one smooth glide. He looks back into the camera. "I know you're going to make fun of me when we see each other later, but just know.. I did this for you, kid. And don't feel bad about it, my awesome beard will grow back." He flashes him a grin._

Peter lets out a startled laugh. He remembers this day now. He'd come in for their weekly workshop time, and he saw that Tony had shaved his beard and tried not to laugh at him. Tony had taken it in stride and told Peter he could laugh, but Peter was trying to be polite so he didn't- until Pepper had seen him and then he couldn't help laughing at the face she'd made.

_He finishes shaving his face and looks at himself long and hard, before turning towards the camera. "This is for you kid. I swear, I'd never do this for anyone else..." He shakes his head and smiles fondly at the camera and then looks down at the counter. "Well.. that's it for this video, kiddo. I hope that you never have to watch these but..." He looks back up, obviously trying to hold back tears. "I'm so proud of you Peter. I need you to know that; you're the best son I could have asked for." He blinks away the tears and one escapes- but he's quick to wipe it away. "I love you Petey."_

The video clicks off to a black screen and Peter muffles his sobs in the bed pillow, clutching it tightly to his chest. FRIDAY speaks softly, " _Would you like me to play the next one, Peter?"_

Peter wipes away his tears with the back of his hands and takes a moment to collect himself. When he speaks, his voice is strong and unwavering. "No, but I'm going to need your help Fri; is there a way I can program you into my suit- alongside Karen?" He asks, his face set in hard determination.

FRIDAY responds by opening up another video. Tony's face pops up on the screen once again.

_"Alright kid. So I'm gone, and you want my AI?" He chuckles. "Well, at least she'll have a great new boss.. Anyway, today I'm going to show you how to install FRIDAY.ai. You got your suit ready? You might want to take this down to the lab. You've got a long day ahead of you."_

Peter nods once and gets up from the bed, his legs shaking but his determination pushes him through. He leaves the room and walks down the empty hallway to the elevator. "Take me down to h-his lab FRIDAY. Please," Peter says, his voice cracking.

" _Right away, Peter._ "

 

* * *

 

Peter screws something into place but pauses when he hears a knock.

"Peter?" He hears Wanda's voice through the door and he sighs, standing up. "Are you in here?" She calls again. Peter walks over to the door and types in the password; the door opens with a beep.

"Yeah Wanda?" He's got bags under his eyes from staying up all night working on the suit.

She smiles softly and puts an arm around him, gesturing for him to come with her. "I think it would be.. best, if you come upstairs and have some dinner, and then go to sleep." She says gently, trying to pull him out of the Lab. He refuses and ducks under her arm, walking back into Tony's laboratory.

"I'm fine, thanks." He mutters, taking a seat back on his stool. Wanda's shoulders sag and she steps inside the dimly lit lab. She looks around, not having really ever been in this lab, and sees what Peter's working on.

"What are you doing?" She asks, taking a seat beside him on the other stool.

Peter glances at he in his peripheral vision and then back at his suit as he keeps tinkering with it. "I'm.. installing FRIDAY into my suit." He mumbles. Her features soften and she rests a hand on his shoulder; he pauses.

"Peter... I know this is hard-"

"You don't know anything." He snaps, shrugging her hand off. Wanda looks at a loss for words and she sighs, standing up from her seat.

"Okay, Pete. Just... don't close yourself off from us, we care about you." She doesn't try to touch him again and quickly leaves the lab.

Peter feels bad about snapping at her but.. He shakes his head to stop his train of thought. "FRIDAY, keep playing the video." He says and continues working.

" _Of course Peter._ " She says, and Tony's face pops back up on the screen in front of him.

_"Okay buddy, now what you'll wanna do is get the red wire, and the white wire and intertwine them,"_

 

* * *

 

Steve sighs and rubs his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "He needs to leave the lab, it's no good for him to stay all cooped up in there." He says to Clint, and the man nods.

"Yeah, but Wanda already tried. The kid's as stubborn as Stark... was." Clint trails off and his face falls. Steve nods grimly.

"I'll wait an hour, and then go bring him out myself." Steve says, pushing himself off the arm of the chair.

 

* * *

 

Peter inhales sharply at the last tweak and then closes the suit back up. He tugs off his shirt, jeans, and shoes, and changes into the suit.

"Welcome back Peter," Karen greets him and then pauses. "I see you have successfully uploaded FRIDAY.ai."

"Successfully? Yes!" Peter pumps his arm excitedly and does a few stretches in his suit. "Okay, now here's the plan.."

 

* * *

 

An hour later, Steve goes down to the lab and knocks on the door. "Peter? You in here?" He asks, and receives no response. He frowns and inputs the password Tony gave him a few years back. It doesn't work. Typical. He knocks again. "Pete, it's Steve." Still nothing. "FRIDAY, can you get Pepper down here- or tell her to send me the password?"

" _Of course Mr. Rogers. Miss Potts is on her way down now._ " FRIDAY responds coolly.

"Thanks,"

A few minutes later, Pepper exits the elevator. She gives Steve a tired smile- which he returns- and inputs the password. They both enter the lab, only to find it empty. They give each other a look and then split up to scour the whole lab.

Apart from the bots, it's empty.

"FRIDAY, where's Peter?" Pepper asks, worry lacing her tone.

" _Master Parker isn't in the building._ " FRIDAY informs them. Their eyes widen and they look at each other again. 

"Where is he?" Steve asks, his voice strong and unwavering.

" _I can't say. Apologies Mr. Rogers, Miss Potts._ "

Steve's eyebrows narrow. "What does that mean, FRIDAY?" He asks frustratedly.

" _Master Parker doesn't want to be tracked._ "

"Override his permissions FRIDAY." Pepper commands, moving a bit of hair from her eyes.

" _Permission Denied._ "

They both stand still in shock. "W-what?"

" _Master Parker overrides your request, Miss Potts._ "

Steve looks at Pepper confusedly, "How does he have higher access than you?" She shrugs softly, shaking her head in confusion.

Peter's voice cuts through the speakers, "Hey Pepper, Steve. I'm fine, don't worry about me. But I have something I have to do, and I won't be home for a while. So... don't look for me. I promise I'll be back soon. Love you, bye." The noise cuts out and all is silent.

Then they go into panic mode, Pepper orders Steve to gather the team and he rushes upstairs; while she stays in the lab and tries to override Peter's permissions.

_What was that boy doing?.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My Tumblr!](https://holykingwasteland.tumblr.com/)


	2. Not Really Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Peter, I detect heat signatures from that ditch."_ Peter feels his chest tighten and he tugs the backpack tighter as he rushes over. As he gets closer, he sees red, and he breaks into a sprint. Hope burns in his chest.
> 
> OR;  
> Peter finds Tony- _alive_ -and brings him home.

It's around six am now; the sun is casting long shadows behind trees. Peter spent all night swinging until he came across the charred black forest where the Avengers recently fought those aliens.. And where Tony should be. Dead or alive, Peter isn't sure, but he's hoping it's the latter.

"Karen, zoom in over there. FRIDAY, sweep the forest for any heat signatures." Peter commands, crouching down on a tree branch as he zooms in on a family of deer. He curses himself and zoom out before swinging away to scour the next area.

" _No body heat signatures recognised,_ " FRIDAY informs.

"Any other heat signatures?" Peter asks, pulling himself up branch by branch until he reaches the top of the tree. He adjusts the backpack on his shoulders that keeps slipping.

" _Just from the burned trees, and a few birds._ " She says.

Peter nods, "Okay, just let me know if anything pops up." He keeps swinging through the forest, narrowly avoiding trees and spiderwebs (that aren't his). He pauses by the stream and kneels down, pulling his mask off after a quick look around. He splashes some water is his face and sighs, when something catches his eye. He turns and sees light reflecting off of something in a ditch.

He pulls the mask back on over his face and FRIDAY quickly speaks up, " _Peter, I detect heat signatures from that ditch._ " Peter feels his chest tighten and he tugs the backpack tighter as he rushes over. As he gets closer, he sees red, and he breaks into a sprint. Hope burns in his chest.

He skids to a stop and feels his heartbeat quicken when he sees that familiar red and yellow armour. He jumps down into the ditch and kneels beside the armour. "FRIDAY- how do I get his face-plate off??" He says in a rush, and sees a few pressure points light up in his vision. He clicks them hurriedly and it makes a hissing noise as it disconnects from the rest of his suit.

Peter pulls it away and sees the paler-than-normal Tony Stark laying unconscious in the suit.

"F-FRIDAY can you connect to his suit?" Peter asks, swallowing drily.

" _I'm sorry Peter, but Boss's suit is currently offline and I cannot connect to it. You will have to manually open the suit,_ " She explains and Peter nods, biting his lip anxiously.

More pressure points light up in his vision and he clicks all of them until the armour is off and discarded to the side; giving him a good view of Tony's injuries. Peter puts two fingers to Tony's pulse point on his neck and feels a very gentle heartbeat. He breathes a very soft sigh and moves his hands to hover over Tony's chest.

"W-what do I do Fri?" He asks quietly.

" _Lift up Boss's shirt, check for any broken ribs._ " She replies, and Peter quickly pulls the dirtied white tank-top up, revealing . He carefully follows FRIDAY's instructions to touch around- despite how shaky his hands are- and feel for anything broken. Once he's done, FRIDAY informs him that she can't feel anything broken, but it's possible that they are cracked- or at least extremely bruised.

"Any-anything else?" He stutters, leaning back on his heels for a moment to balance himself out.

" _Wake him up, and check for signs of a_ _concussion._ "

He taps Tony's cheek a few times and receives no response, so he pinches his arm slightly. His arm twitches and his face slightly pinches up but nothing else. "Splash some water in his face," Karen pipes up and Peter nods hesitantly. He slides his backpack off and then pulls out a Star Wars themed water bottle. He opens it up and tips a bit of it on Tony's face.

The man's eyes fly open and he shoots up into a sitting position, gasping in air, and Peter balances him with an arm around his back.

"E-easy, Tony. You're alright," Peter soothes, using his free hand to pull down Tony's shirt and then move his hair out of the man's face.

Tony looks at Peter with wide eyes, and then visibly relaxes. "Peter? What are you doin' out here..?" His words slur slightly, and he blinks slowly.

Peter keeps his arm around him, but uses his other to hold it in front of Tony's eyes. "Can you focus for me?" He asks, and Tony nods slowly before focusing his eyes on Peter's clothed finger. "FRIDAY?" Tony's eyes narrow and he looks up into Peter's large white Spider-Man eyes questioningly.

" _I believe Boss might have a slight concussion, nothing that needs immediate medical attention, as far as I can tell._ " Peter nods and brings his hand back down.

"Okay Tony, how are you feeling? I've got.. got water, and food in my backpack, if you're... up for that?" He's hesitant and not sure how to deal with his half-delirious dad-person.

Tony nods seriously, "Yes. Yes, water is good. Please." Peter hands over the water bottle and helps him guzzle it for a few seconds, before pulling it away, despite Tony's protests. "Hey-"

"Pace yourself, take a second to just.. breathe?" He's talking out of his ass at this point, but he needs to make sure Tony doesn't pass out again. Tony huffs but takes a few deep breaths, before gesturing to the bottle once more. Peter reluctantly hands it over and Tony drinks the rest of it- but a lot slower now.

He hands the empty bottle back to Peter and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand tiredly. "Are you hungry?" Peter asks, taking out a few packets of chips and two sandwiches that people had brought him throughout yesterday that he ignored.

Tony seems to salivate at the thought and he licks his lips, nodding slowly. Peter hands a sandwich over- ham and cheese- and watches as Tony eats it. He's not taking his time, but he's not inhaling it so Peter takes that as a win.

Once half of the food is eaten, and the second water bottle is almost empty, Peter packs everything away once more. Tony is lying back down in his suit with his eyes half lidded, and Peter knows that even if his suit was working, Tony wouldn't be able to make the flight back. He sighs and thinks about how they're going to get back when Tony speaks up.

"So you programmed FRIDAY into your suit, huh?" His words are lethargic, and his breathing is heavy. Peter looks down concernedly, and then kneels down in Tony's line of vision.

"All thanks to you, dad." He whispers, brushing away some dirt from the man's cheek. He didn't have time to process Tony being alive when he found him, because he was too concerned with whether he was badly injured or not. Now he feels his eyes sting and he has to look away.

"Aw, c'mon kiddo.. Don't cry, I'm right here." Tony says, seeing through any lie Peter had on his tongue. The younger of the two sighs and smiles down at him once more.

"It's kinda hard not too. I thought.... I thought you were  _dead._ " His voice cracks, and Tony's eyebrows crease sadly. He reaches up towards Peter, and the boy grabs his hand strongly. "For three days.. I was told you were dead- or M.I.A or _whatever_. B-but.. but you're not. And I- I  _knew_ that you couldn't have been! Because- 'cause Tony Stark doesn't just _die._ "

Tony smiles at him softly as the boy rambles. Peter notices he's still talking and drifts off, his ears turning pink. "I-I just...  _I'm so glad you're not dead._ " He blurts, and Tony lets out a startled laugh.

"Me too kid. And I'm not, thanks to you." He emphasises the last few words and Peter ducks his head in embarrassment. "Now, I don't know about you.. but I really wanna get back home." His eyes slide shut and his breathing starts to even out.

"W-what do I do??" Peter asks.

"I dunno kid, you're the genius; you'll think of something.." His voice trails off into gentle breathing, and Peter knows he's out.

He looks at the armour strewn around the place and asks, "Hey FRIDAY, can I put this stuff back onto Tony, or do I have to try and fit it in my bag?"

There's a few beats of silence. " _I believe you can reconnect the armour but it would probably be best if you used your webs to close them up._ " She suggest helpfully.

"And you can web him to your chest like a baby-carrier, seeing as he is in no condition to be flying on his own." Karen adds cheerily.

Peter nods. "Okay, I can do this." He tells himself softly, and then gets to work.

He puts the leg armour back on, clicks it into place, and then webs it around for extra precaution. He does this with the rest of his armour but stops at the face. " _You should leave his face-plate off. It will be better on the slim chance he throws up,_ " He nods and slides the face-armour into his backpack; before sliding the bag back onto his shoulders.

He gently lifts Tony into a sitting position and notices how the man only shifts slightly. He pulls Tony into his chest and webs him up securely, wrapping the webs around his torso quite a few times just to be sure. Then puts his arms up around his neck, and lets Tony's head rest against his shoulder comfortably. He also webs his legs up around his waist, to make it easier for him to manoeuvre and web around.

He stands up and balances himself out before trudging them out of the ditch. He walks back into the forest and begins swinging back home.

 

* * *

 

"FRIDAY, don't tell anyone we're back, just tell Bruce that he's needed in the medbay once we're down there, okay?" Peter says, landing on the roof of the Compound.

" _Of course Peter. What would you like me to tell Dr. Banner?"_ FRIDAY asks.

"Just... say that one of the inters need him or something," He replies, entering through the doors, and makes a bee-line for the elevator. He pulls off his mask and gently tucks it in between his and Tony's chests.

They go down to the medbay and Peter cuts the webs off. He places Tony on the sickbed and then takes his armour off once more. He hears the elevator doors open and then a sharp intake of breath, before someone running towards them. He sees Bruce in his peripheral vision and looks over at him.

The man's eyes are wide and he immediately starts rushing around, starting up a drip and attaches all these wires to him. Peter pulls the armour out from under him and then adjusts Tony's position as the man stirs.

Tony groans and moves his head around limply, "Peter..." His eyebrows narrow and Peter is at his side in an instant. He grabs Tony's hand and watches as the man's bleary eyes open and look at him. "Oh, hey kid."

"Hey Tony, how are you feeling?" Peter asks, pulling the chair closer so he can take a seat.

The man hums sleepily, and squeezes Peter's hand softly. "'m tired.." He says, and then becomes more serious and awake- just slightly. "Are you okay, Pete?"

Peter laughs softly and nods. "Yeah I'm fine. You should go back to sleep though," He says gently, rubbing Tony's knuckles. Tony nods and closes his eyes, ready to nod off when Peter speaks again. "Oh, and I'm never letting you go without me again." He adds offhandedly.

Tony giggles-  _giggles-_ very gently and mumbles with a smile, "mhm.. okay Petey..." And he nods off. Peter sits there in silence and rubs Tony's knuckles as his spidey-senses tingle. He glances over at Bruce who is staring at the scene before him with kind eyes and they make eye contact.

"He... he might have a slight concussion." Peter says awkwardly, and Bruce nods.

"I'm surprised he doesn't have that many injuries.. He took a lot of hits during the fight." Bruce says and notices how Peter's face sobers and he looks much more mature than a few seconds previous.

Peter swallows audibly and looks back down at Tony. "I'm going to.. go get Pepper, and let the others know." Bruce tells him, and then leaves swiftly. Peter nods to himself and focuses back on Tony's  _alive_ and  _breathing_ body.

 

* * *

 

Bruce enters the elevator and asks, "FRIDAY, can you please tell Pepper and the others to meet me in the living room?"

" _Of course, Dr. Banner._ "

 

The elevator doors open up and he steps out into the hallway. He walks down and into the living room where the others are patiently waiting for him to arrive; so when he does, all their chatter ceases and they look over at him.

"Alright, first, I need you all to just.. promise me you're not going to freak out." Bruce starts, still hesitant, but knows he has to tell them.

They all nod, a bit more suspicious now and he continues, "Peter is back-" Steve shoots out of his chair and begins speed walking to the door when Bruce stops him. "And before you go down there- to the medbay- and give him the.. "responsibility" talk, you should know that... Tony is down there. He's alive, but he's sleeping. And I just ask that you don't wake him-"

The rest of the team- and Pepper- rush past him and run down the hallway to get to the elevator, Bruce following close behind; and they all pile in.

The ride down there is near silent and the elevator is filled with anxiety and nerves. The doors open and they all rush out and further into the room to see Peter sitting beside a sleeping- and  _alive-_ Tony Stark. Pepper sucks in a breath and rushes forward towards them, nearly collapsing when she hears the steady  _beep beep beep_ of his heartbeat. 

Peter looks up and makes eye contact with her, before letting his eyes soften and he stands up, allowing her to take a seat. She sinks down into the chair and looks at Tony with tears in her eyes. Peter takes her hand and slides it into Tony's, letting go for the first time since they got there, and he steps away to go talk with the team.

Their eyes are all on Tony but they slowly look over at a silent Peter one by one.

Clint breaks the silence, "You.. you found him." His eyes are wide and his voice is soft and quavering. Peter nods once, his face monotone- that being his main deflecting defensive mechanism towards the team... Which they recognise.

"What... where did you?.." Sam, for once, seems at a loss for words.

"He was unconscious in a ditch." Peter says flatly, still a bit pissed off at them. If he hadn't gone when he had... If he hadn't gone at _all_... He sees the others flinch or wince at his words and he just blinks in response. "He was dehydrated, starving, and..  _way_ too pale for comfort." He crosses his arms over his chest and looks back at Tony, his facade softening for just a second.

Steve reaches out to put a hand on Peter's shoulder but the teen dodges it with narrowed eyes. "D-don't.. Don't touch me." The sentence starts off very defensive and cold, but dissolves into a calm whisper.

"Pete-"

"Yeah I know, Cap." Ooh ' _Cap_ 'ouch, that must've hurt.. "You had injured, you couldn't stay. But you should have sent others out there to find him- I would have been first in line and you know that!" He whisper-yells, very aware of the fact that Tony is sleeping nearby.

"Tony wouldn't have forgiven me if I let you go and you got hurt." Steve defends himself. Peter scoffs.

"Yeah? Tony would be  _dead_ if I hadn't gone when I did! If I had left before I found him- if I hadn't stopped by the stream-" Peter's hands are shaking and Steve reaches out to try and steady him again when Peter smacks his hand away, fire burning in his eyes. "I said.  _Don't touch me._ "

Steve's eyebrows crease in the "eyebrows of concern/disappointment" kinda way, but they have no effect on Peter. "Peter.. I'm sorry, you're right. We should have sent people out as soon as we got back, there's no excuse." He says, lowering his head to look down at the ground.

Peter growls-  _actually growls-_ and takes a step away from them. "Yeah, I am right." He turns to walk back over to Tony but pauses, looking Steve in the eyes. "Oh, and by the way, I'm tagging along on your missions from now on. Since I'm the only one who seems to care about Tony's well being."

Clint steps forward, "Now kid, you can't just _do_ that. Tony would never let you, anyway."

"Actually, you'll find that I  _can_ do that, and none of you are going to stop me. And if you try, I'll put you in the hospital myself." He informs, and knows he's going a bit overboard but he just wants to be done with this conversation and go back to his dad.

"Don't you trust us enough to know this won't happen again-" Natasha asks but Peter cuts her off with an enraged look.

"No, in fact, I don't! I didn't trust any of you to take care of him well before this, but now? I'm don't even trust you enough to let you be in the same room  _alone_ with him!" Peter yells, and hears the heart rate monitor pick up so he lowers his voice to a dangerous whisper. "Nothing gets in the way of me protecting Tony. I will protect him until my dying breath, and if that means you get caught in the crossfire? Well, I'm sorry but that'll just be another casualty."

The Avengers are stunned. Is this really the Peter they know? Since when did he have such a... frightening side?

"Are. We. Clear?" Peter enunciates each word so he's hear clearly, and the others nod. "Good." Peter turns around and walks over to the right side of the bed, opposite to Pepper, and takes a seat, clutching Tony's hand like a lifeline.

The team share a few looks before eventually leaving the two to have their time in privacy. And as they leave, they make a unanimous silent agreement to try and stay away from Peter's bad-side at all costs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My Tumblr!](https://holykingwasteland.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr!](https://holykingwasteland.tumblr.com/)


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